A comparison of a community-based dementia support programme and nursing home-based day care: Effects on carer needs, emotional burden and quality of life.

Objectives: Within an implementation study, we investigated the effectiveness of a combined community-based day care programme for persons with dementia and their carers versus traditional psychogeriatric nursing home-based day care. The effects on needs, sense of competence, burden and quality of life of the family carers were studied.

Methods: A pretest-posttest control group design among family carers of people with dementia who joined community-based day care centres ( = 67) or nursing home-based day care centres ( = 64).